There are mixed emotions among Minnesota golf fans as the senior tour 3M Championship transitions to the PGA Tour 3M Open next year in Blaine.

Many recognize the step up in caliber as a positive, providing an opportunity to see the world’s best players. But a common sentiment shared Friday was that the Champions Tour event will be missed. The 3M Championship provided fans with a different (and free) golf viewing atmosphere, with accessible players and slightly smaller crowds at various points around the course.

This event created a couple of memorable moments for Jim and Debbie Koehn of North St. Paul.

This weekend marked the couple’s fourth trip to the 3M Championship. The couple was standing in the expo tent a few years ago, sitting in line for something they can’t remember, when Arnold Palmer walked by, nearly bumped into them and gave a thumbs up when he sat down a few feet away.

Jim also had the chance to walk across a bridge on the course with Tom Watson.

“Where [else] can you do that?” he said. “He was standing right next to me. That was pretty cool. You’re not going to do that with Tiger Woods.”

There’s no question there’s excitement for the PGA Tour stop.

“I’d definitely come back up here to see this [PGA Tour event],” said Jim Cradit of Chanhassen. “It’ll be interesting to see the different golfers.”

But many will miss what’s leaving. Jim Koehn said “it’s kind of sad” to see the Champions Tour go. Debbie Koehn noted that there are a lot of high-profile players who will turn 50 in the next five to 10 years, and that those players won’t be making Champions Tour stops in Minnesota.

The Koehns may come out to the 3M Open next summer, but there is a concern about crowd size; it’s not as much fun standing at the back end of large galleries.

And there’s something to be said for watching the older players tee it up.

“I just like watching our contemporaries,” said Mark Tressler of Chaska, who estimated he’s been to about six 3M Championships. “That’s something we could aspire to. The young guys, not so much.”

Jace has covered a slew of sports since he joined the Pioneer Press in May 2015, but his primary duty is covering high schools. Jace enjoys the beat, even though he's been mistaken for a student on multiple occasions.

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